Hunger

"As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good." 2 Thess 3:13 (NLT)

Read a story that haunted me. Children adopted by a family in New Jersey were starved and treated cruelly for ten years. The oldest boy was found digging in a neighbors trash for food. At the age of 19 he weighed only 45 pounds and stood tall at only 4 feet. I can't imagine what kind of sight that was. The discovery (in 2006) brought the trajedy to an abrupt halt with the arrest of the adopted parents. The kids are now thriving in the care of new family as the oldest gains independence in a group home.

The survival of these boys is just miraculous - they never had access to the pad locked refrigerator, never eating cooked meals, but the grains of grits, dry batter of pancake mix, and canned food. Maybe they would eat once or twice per day, but with a time limit. Two or three minutes would be all they had to inhale the "meal" or it will be forcibly removed from their hands and thrown out. Bite marks adorned the walls of that home offering the secret of how they curbed their hunger.

This family had children of their own that they loved and cared for. Why did they adopt children only to hate them? That kind of cruelty, in this country and this day just breaks my heart.

This passion is stirring up in me to do something. Its always been there. Sometimes we may think the need of the entire world - human suffering, is too overwhelming. How can one person do anything? Satan lies like that. He makes us think that the little things we do, won't make a dent.

I heard about a common practice of Darlene Zschech that she does with the Hillsongs worship team, before they minister. They look up verses and research statistics on world hunger. They do this to keep their hearts tender, to remind themselves of why they do what they do.

I was recently challenged to come up with a 45 second punch line, to tell someone who I am, what I'm doing, and where I'm going. I know the crux of it comes from Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I seek to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, set free the captives, and give sight to the blind. God is cultivating every dream, skill and occupation, in my life in order to fulfill the purposes He's burning into my heart.